Lucien Gates has no idea why he was chosen to be given the superhero powers that make him known as The Ray. But when San Diego falls under attack by an army of giant man-eating monsters, his purpose becomes clear when he must save both his hometown and the woman he loves before it’s too late.

THE RAY #2 comes to you from the creative team of Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, Jamal Igle and Rich Perrotta and hits stores today.

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A four-issue miniseries that debuted on Wednesday, THE RAY is an all-new identity for a classic DC Comics character – and a whole new life for Lucien Gates, the happy-go-lucky lifeguard transformed into a human ray of light by a military “sun gun.” As a hero, Lucien’s fine when faced with giant jellyfish – but he really starts to sweat when confronted by his disgruntled girlfriend. There’s action, there’s comedy – and co-writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray shine a light on just why THE RAY is the book to watch.

For readers who may not be familiar with THE RAY, what do we have to know before picking up the first issue?

JP: Not much really, since we approached the book from the point of view that a new reader would be picking it up. We tried to make the character and the situation, supporting cast and overall story as accessible as humanly possible. What you may want to know is that it is a limited series.

JG: Exactly, this is a ground floor entry to a new incarnation of the Ray so you don’t need any previous knowledge of the character to read it.

This sounds (and looks) quite a bit different from your work on JONAH HEX and ALL-STAR WESTERN. How do those books compare to THE RAY?

JP: Well, this is a straightforward superhero book that is a bit more fantastic in its premise. We also have only 4 issues to tell a story here, so it gets right to business. Honestly, if you enjoy our work, this should be a no brainer…but if you are new to our superhero work, why not try this first.

JG: One of the differences is the genre with The Ray being more of a wish fulfillment superhero comic in the classical sense with a modern twist. All-Star Western is a gritty period piece, but The Ray is built to be fun and exciting in a completely different way. These characters will seem familiar on some level, maybe even likable in a way that surprises readers.

What can you tell us about Lucien Gates?

JP: He is a good healthy young male with a supportive family and friends and is just getting started in life. He is smart, funny and makes some really big mistakes, like all of us.

JG: He’s a fun loving lifeguard who happens to have a very diverse and funny supporting cast. There’s a very grounded sense of normalcy to him that stands in contrast to his life as a superhero. He’s the kind of guy you’d like to hang out with and root for. And like JP said he makes mistakes, he’s very human and very much of his age group in terms of lacking a sophisticated or jaded outlook. That’s one of the aspects of the series that we hope people find refreshing.

How is he different from your garden-variety superhero?

JP: Lucien is embracing his superpowers and his new role where a lot of others are devastated by it, or choose to become more darker and brooding characters.

JG: He’s so easy going that he takes a lot of it in stride. Waking up one morning and finding out that you can fly at the speed of light would be awesome and that’s how he looks at it. Of course being naked all the time takes some getting used to.

What kinds of powers can we expect from a human ray of light?

JP: Just about anything we can come up with that is based on the idea of light, speed and the enigmatic form of energy that it is. Visible light is unlike any other fundamental element: it interacts with our senses and we explore all these things.

What do you love about writing the character?

JP: He is a positive person trying to do his best and I respect and like this idea and character. I can relate to him, which makes him easier to write.

JG: Looking at the world through Lucien’s eyes and writing about it is a chance to think outside our own experiences.

OK, the “light” puns are inevitable. What were some of your favorites and did anything end up on the cutting room floor?

JG: We did try to keep the puns to a minimum so that reviewers and the media could have fun with them.

In BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #3 (out tomorrow), Batman must battle both the physical and mental threats that the White Rabbit brings. MAXIM has your exclusive first look at the issue.

Tomorrow also marks the release of AQUAMAN #3. “In this week's issue, you'll actually see a character that was first mentioned in the back matter of JUSTICE LEAGUE #3 that plays a pretty important role,” series writer Geoff Johns revealed to IGN. “It's a new character but it's a character that has to do with Aquaman's past and ties into a bigger story that we're building. So all the clues are there for what we're doing next and the first big tease starts this week.”

Earlier this morning, writer Scott Lobdell told you three things you need to know about Bunker, the newest member of the Teen Titans. COMIC BOOK RESOURCES chatted with Lobdell about the openly gay character. “I'd say that definitely the point of Bunker's embracing things is that he enjoys everything about life,” Lobdell said of the character. “He enjoys being alive, he enjoys his sexuality, and he enjoys that he's been gifted with these super powers. To some degree, I don't think we see a lot of characters enjoying their super powers the same way that you and I would. I think it's great to see the drama of characters burdened by that which separates them from society, but there's also the idea that many people solely enjoy and celebrate every day that which makes them different instead of being fearful or angsty or regretful.”

And while you’re at COMIC BOOK RESOURCES, be sure to also check out their interview with Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti about THE RAY, which we previewed here on THE SOURCE yesterday. “We started thinking about Lucien as represented by light, and with that came the need to do something optimistic and bright, the kind of superhero who is modern and yet still retains some of the old school action hero comics,” Gray disclosed about series protagonist, Lucien Gates. “Much of the series is grounded in Lucien's life outside the costume and how it often serves as an escape. It’s like bungee jumping; people do that for the rush and the excitement. Sometimes, they do it to escape their personal lives.”

To be continued …

The air has gotten colder. Here in New York, we’re already walking over to our offices in jackets and scarves. Stores have started putting out holiday decorations and lots of new holiday music has begun to play. So as you start to prepare for this holiday season, be sure to check out BATMAN: NOEL, the new original graphic novel that gives a Dark Knight twist to Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. “I think it's important to note too that this isn't an adaptation. You're not going to see top hats and canes,” writer/artist Lee Bermejo explained to COMIC BOOK RESOURCES. “The story you're following in the book is the story of a father who tried his hand at the criminal profession because of desperation, but he quickly realizes it's not for him. He gets a job working for the Joker, and Batman uses him as bait to try and capture the Joker.”

Fan-site THE AQUAMAN SHRINE chatted with writer Geoff Johns about AQUAMAN. “We're going to be adding a lot of new characters, a lot of new villains, we're going to be doing a new take on Atlantis, but I am going to be using some of the classic Aquaman villains,” Johns revealed about the series. “Eventually you will see Black Manta and Ocean Master of course, but we're going to revamping a pretty obscure Aquaman villain and they can try and guess who that's going to be!”

Meanwhile, GAWKER’S IO9 talked to ALL-STAR WESTERN co-writer Jimmy Palmiotti. “It's like a Sherlock and a Watson in the most bizarre sense,” Palmiotti said about Jonah Hex and Amadeus Arkham. “For the first six issues, we have them on two different adventures, and we play them against each other. There are points where Jonah literally wants to kill Arkham for talking all the time.”

And yesterday, you read the first part of NEWSARAMA’s interview with the creative team of THE FLASH. Today, check out the just published second part about what to expect from the series. “We can tell you that after the end of this arc, we'll do a couple done-in-one issues, with each one actually representing each side of the genre of the book,” series co-writer and artist Francis Manapul divulged. “Issue #6 will be a purely CSI-type detective story, and it will explore that aspect of Barry's life by delving into that genre. But then with issue #7, we'll have a purely science fiction/superhero story.”

To be continued …